2nd elderly woman says TSA exposed her

Last Updated 12:10 p.m. ET

NEW YORK - A second elderly woman is alleging that TSA agents at a screening checkpoint at JFK Airport invaded her privacy.

Lenore Zimmerman, 85, told the New York Daily News that she was forced to undergo a strip search at Kennedy Airport last Tuesday - a report the TSA disputes.

On Monday a TSA official reiterated that no strip search of Zimmerman had been conducted, telling CBS News that the woman "did not undress other than removing the back brace. ... She did not remove anything further," and adding, "She did not remove her underwear."

Now 88-year-old Ruth Sherman spoke to CBS Station WCBS after hearing about Zimmerman's story, claiming to have had a similar ordeal at the same JetBlue terminal one day earlier.

Sherman, of Sunrise, Fla., was returning home from a Thanksgiving holiday in New York when TSA screeners wanted to check the bulge from Sherman's colostomy bag.

"This is private for me. It's bad enough that I have it," she told WCBS correspondent Dave Carlin. "I had to pull from my sweatpants and I had to pull my underwear, my underwear down.

"You don't do that anybody," she added. "I felt like I was invaded."

Sherman said she initially complained to JetBlue and told her family, but is now going public.

Both she and Zimmerman said seniors are often too cooperative and afraid to speak up when humiliated.

WCBS contacted a TSA spokesman about Sherman's alleged strip search and were told that the TSA will research this new case.

The TSA released a statement Sunday, apologizing to Zimmerman but disputing her story.

TSA public affairs spokesperson Kristin Lee told CBS News that a review of closed circuit TV indicates that a "private screening was requested by the passenger, and was granted."

According to TSA sources, there was nothing unusual detected when Zimmerman and the security agents left the private screening area.

Lee told CBS News that "TSA screening procedures are conducted in a manner designed to treat all passengers with dignity, respect and courtesy and that occurred in this instance.

"While we regret that the passenger feels she had an unpleasant screening experience, TSA does not include strip searches as part of our security protocols, and one was not conducted in this case."

Zimmerman's son, Bruce Zimmerman, told WCBS that the family plans to sue to TSA.

"I do want them to have some sort of consequence. I think the two agents that escorted or initiated the strip search should be terminated," he said.

[esig7]

When I'm pulled aside for an extra check it's the TSA doing their job to fight terrorism, but when another woman 50 years older than me has the same experience it's human rights abuse?

It's a well known fact that passing through airport security is an unpleasant and undignified process - we have to take off our shoes while strangers root through our luggage and take nudie pictures of us with x-rays. HOWEVER this is generally accepted as the best way to ensure safety in the air.

I know, it sucks. But if I have to do it, so do you.

[riuey]

I just want to be absolutely sure when I fly there is no question of a secure flight. I do not care what they have to do to provide that.

[Linka4356]

Can't tell if trolling or coward...

[netjunkie1]

There is legislation that will not permit carry on luggage. The same legislation also requires passengers to submit to cavity searches on demand by TSA personnel, stewardess's and pilots during flights.

[sandiegopete]

Just one more reason not to fly on commercial aircraft. With the price gouging by airlines, the poor service given by airlines and the questionable safety due to oursourcing aircraft maintenance to foreign countries the nutty actions by TSA screeners is just one more nail.

Expect to see at least one more airline go out of business in the next year or two.

[kainos2]

If they strip search me, I'm gonna pi$$ all over the place!

[fisher1949]

A third victim came forward this afternoon, recounting the same experience at JFK. This is at least the seventh reported TSA strip search of a passenger this year including the strip search of Shoshana Hebshi in Detroit on September 11th. In that incident TSA acknowledged that the search was recorded.

These reports raise some serious questions about the extent of the TSA abuses occurring in our airports. They denied that strip searches are not part of their screening protocol, which is apparently a lie in view of the seven similar reports this year.

Pulling down a person's pants and underwear would meet most definitions of a strip search despite TSA's attempt to qualify the term. How many others have gone unreported? This agency has been flagrantly assaulting people for a year now and has only been emboldened by their ability to get away with even the most egregious violations of basic standards of decency. The screeners and supervisors in these incidents must be prosecuted for what is clearly a criminal offense.

TSA has repeatedly denied these types of abuses occur and usually blame the victim. This is the sort of defense that one would expect from a rapist or other assailant, not a Federal agency.

How extreme must these TSA assaults become before Congress demands that this be stopped? Will they be permitted to water-board passengers next? Perhaps a few random beatings or even a executions, all in the name of an "unpredictable screening policy" will be acceptable to Congress?

There have been thousands of complaints of strip searches, groping, inappropriate comments and other abuses yet TSA contends that "proper procedure was followed" in each case. It's peculiar how they are never wrong.

This is the same agency that has had 62 screeners arrested for serious crimes, including one for murder and 10 charged with child sex crimes. This agency is obviously out of control and needs to be replaced, it is clearly too flawed to be reformed.

[SoCal_Gridlock]

Like it or not the terrorists are winning. This is just one other little victory for them and the TSA agents are unwittingly acting as operatives with their pat-downs, body scanners, X-ray machines, etc. Even when an act of terror is twarted (underwear and shoe bombers) they get some kind of victory, even if it's just the sheer inconvenience of having to take your shoes off to get through security.

The terrorists are winning and I'm afraid we're helping them with our knee-jerk reactions to everything they do.

[markag55]

I heard that TSA agents only get paid a little bit more than minimum wage. Can someone confirm this? That may be why they don't do such a good job. While looking "just" for Muslim-looking men or women is discriminatory, I thought that the new TSA training included looking for psychological clues, such as nervousness, sweating, not looking the TSA agent in the eye, and other such behaviors which police detectives have known for years.

I agree: it's an insult to make an 80+ yr. old women (especially with a Jewish name from Long Island)take off her clothes. It's ridiculous and I hope these women do sue the TSA. They deserve better.

[TexasGetsIt]

What makes it more insulting just because it was a Jewish gal from Long Island? It would be insulting to ANYONE, regardless of age, sex, religion, etc.

[Jaylah54]

Of course "the family plans to sue to TSA.." That was the idea from the get-go. 1) Ask for a private screening. 2) Be taken into room without cameras (for passenger privacy). 3) Leave the room and start telling people the TSA agents made you drop your pants and underwear. 4) Since there was no surveillance camera in the private room, there won't be any video to back up the TSA's claim it never happened. (Of course, there won't be any video to back up your claim that it did, either. But then it's a known fact that everybody hates airport screenings, so will be more inclined to believe TSA agents are perverts instead of believing that somebody's Granny would lie. 5) Sue the TSA. Include legal fees in your suit. 6) Make LOTS of money for nothing!!

[phwtb100]

Yeah? Well, you do have a point there... there are NO cameras in the rooms so they CAN, and DO, do what THEY whatever they want. If they don't get 'that' invasive how did they catch the 'underwear' bomber?

There is nothing worse than a bully with a badge and TSA fits right on in there. Personally, I think they should be shut down. There is NO escuse for the crap they pull at the airports. NONE of them bother to study their guide book and it can be proven at every airport you go through. One will let you keep this, the other one takes it away from you. They almost arrested me because I forgot I had a miniture level on my key chain, for crying out loud! I was in violation of trying to carry on a liquid without it being in a plastic bag! It was insane! Absolutely NO COMMON SENSE is used with them! NONE! When the 'officer in charge' finally entered the picture, he gave the level back to me, after simply asking me, "Does it really work?"

What a JOKE!

Sue them! And take everything she can get. Better for my tax money to end up in HER pocket than some da*n bank CEO.

[khkolb]

In what world does her privacy trump my right to have explosives kept off a plane on which I am a passenger? I am tired of this sort of myopic, self-centered, "I am the center of all that matters in the World" mindset. Get over it.

[phwtb100]

In THIS world! If they refuse to use common sense then it's up to ALL of us to force them to use a stricter guideline. They don't need to strip search anyone. They do NOT need to feel someone up in the name of 'security'. If they think someone is too dangerous to be let on a plane, DON'T LET THEM GET ON. How hard is that to comprehend?